Escape
by SeasoningS
Summary: Ruthie runs away after some things surface about her parents.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own any of 7th Heavens characters.though I wish I did..  
  
~*Ruthie's POV*~  
  
Another dreary, rainy day. Perfect for sitting inside, moping. After Simon left, I've felt so alone in this house. He was really the only other one beside Mary who wasn't perfectly perfect. Then Mary left, and now Simon. Lucy's here, and while she might be a psychotic, she perfect. Mom and Dad love her. She helps around the house, never got involved with bad people, and married a cop. Now she's still living at home. Sam and David are here, but they're only 5. They're still innocent. Matt still stays in touch, married a good women who won't hurt him. Even Mary settled down with a guy that has nothing wrong with him. Simon's off at college now, early so he's fitting into the "good boy" criteria, too. This family is so predictable. Grow up and help people, get married to a perfect boy/ girl. I mean, has anyone ever had normal friends? I think Cecilia is the only one. Somehow every other one has needed our help. Somehow, I think we more annoyed them rather than helped them. I mean seriously, how much can a nosy family of 9 help someone? I'm getting sick of this whole family thing. I'm sick of being predictable. I've made up my mind- I'm running away.  
  
A/N How did you like it?? Should I keep writing it?? PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I STILL don't any 7th Heaven characters dang it  
  
Ruthie woke up on Monday in a miserable mood. First it was Monday, the worst day of the week. Her family had been ignoring her, much to her displeasure. He boyfriend was distant and standoffish, not a good sign, and on top of that her nest friend Jill had been ignoring her. * Sigh * Just when she thought she would burst in frustration of her not-fair life- she remembered. She smirked, thinking of her plans to leave Glenoak- if she had it her way, forever. She quickly went downstairs, chugged a glass of orange juice, and ran out the door screaming to her mother that she was leaving. Satisfied that she was able to get out of the house with no questions asked, she headed of to her destination, the school library. She walked over to the reference section and scanned the shelves, finally finding what she was looking for, and atlas. She looked through intently, searching for the place, the one and only place, NO ONE would look for her in. She finally found what she was looking for-BOSTON. It was perfect, she hated the cold, but it would have a place for her to stay, it was a huge city, and no one would ask her any questions. On top of that, she would be able to get a decent makeover for low cost there, or so she hoped. Ruthie's day was busy, she spent all of lunch and study on the internet, looking for places to stay in Boston, and plane tickets. She finally was set to order a one-way ticket last period, for very little money. They were set for the Friday after the next. She had it all worked out. She would leave for school like normal, but tell her mom she was sleeping over Jill's then was going to Peter's after. Her parents wouldn't ask questions, they never did. She couldn't wait till Friday.  
  
A/N- How was that?? Better? Worse? Please Review!! 


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: hi everyone thanx for the pretty reviews:-D for the record the reason it wasn't  
  
double spaced it cause i wasn't brilliant enough to figure out how before hehehe... also  
  
i'm working on the backround info..and i'll try to make the chapters longer.may take l  
  
longer tho to update my brain doesn't work too fast hehe  
  
Disclaimer: I STILL don't own any 7th Heaven characters grr..  
  
Friday morning arrived so quickly, Ruthie couldn't believe it. She left for school  
  
as normal, but with her gym bag (gym was on Monday, not Friday), a duffel bag, and a  
  
rather full backpack. She was just opening the door when her mother yelled "Ruthie!! Get  
  
back here!!! WHAT are you doing with LUCY'S duffel bag?"  
  
"Why do YOU care?" Ruthie shot back, angry at the fact all her mother cared a  
  
about was that her duffel bag was Lucy's, not hers. Her parents didn't even bother buying  
  
her her own.  
  
"I CARE because if you lose Lucy's duffel bag, think how much she'll be hurt,"  
  
proving Ruthie's point.  
  
"Fine, I'll be careful," Ruthie sighed, "Oh, by the way, I'm sleeping over Jill's  
  
tonight. Then after I'm going to Peter's after that. He said I could stay for dinner."  
  
"Okay, just don't bother anyone," her mother said as Ruthie rushed out the door.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ruthie starting walking to school, smiling from the  
  
sheer thrill of knowing something, knowing she could DO something, at her parents  
  
wouldn't know. Yet, no matter how much she smiled, something inside her ached,  
  
because even though she was glad to go, she was going to miss Jill, Peter, the twins, and  
  
Happy. And on top of that, her mother didn't notice she didn't have gym. Even though  
  
she'd had gym on Moday for the past 5 years and the gym teacher sent numerous notes  
  
home reminding everyone to bring their gym clothes on Monday. That hurt most of all,  
  
being ignored and forgotten.  
  
Ruthie practically flew to the nearest bus stop. She bent her head, and walked  
  
quickly, because if anyone recognized her, she was ruined. Thankfully, the bus came  
  
quickly. She got on, and went to the last seat praying a quick thank you that it was  
  
vacant. She was sweating bullets when it finally came to the right stop. She raced to the  
  
airport. When she got their, she almost flew to the nearest ticket person (A/N: what are  
  
those called? o well.). She put on her sunglasses, and didn't look up once, scared that  
  
the woman might give the police a clue, when, no- if, her parents found out she ran away.  
  
The women's annoyingly cheerful manner irked Ruthie, but she tried not to say anything.  
  
Throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the airport would definitely make them  
  
remember her. Anyways, she was in a hurry. Happy that the women didn't ask questions,  
  
she hurried into the right terminal. She took a seat away from everyone, put on  
  
headphones, and read. She eyed the racks and racks of magazines enviously, but she  
  
knew she didn't have the money for them. She had been saving her money for a while  
  
now, and she had nearly $200, plus some gift certificates. She was planning to get a job  
  
in Boston as well.  
  
A loud voice interrupted her thoughts announcing that those in terminal C5  
  
needed to board the plane. She hurriedly gathered her things and rushed to the plane,  
  
handing the flight attendant her ticket. She was not pleased to find a man with a large  
  
smile on his face in a business suit on her left, and a teenage girl dressed in pink on her  
  
right. She took her seat and grabbed her C.D. player out as fast as she could, but not fast  
  
enough.  
  
"Hello, I'm Sam. What's you name?" the man in the suit, apparently "Sam"  
  
asked.  
  
"Hi, I'm.. Claire," Ruthie said, saying the first name that popped into her head.  
  
"No kidding! I'm Claire too! Like, Oh my God!" the girl on Ruthie's right blurted  
  
out. Ruthie could smell the sickly sweet gum she was chewing, and wanted to throw up.  
  
These people were making her sick.  
  
"Nice meeting you, but I have to do some reading for school," Ruthie lied  
  
quickly, hoping they'd keep quiet. They just smiled and went back to their own work.  
  
~*6 hours later*~  
  
Ruthie woke up with a start to the flight attendants announcing their arrival in  
  
Boston. Not even realizing that she fell asleep, Ruthie shoved her things in her carry-on  
  
and rushed toward the exit. She was there! Loose in a city, and that felt amazing!  
  
Boston-get ready for Ruthie Camden!  
  
~*Back at the Camden Household*~  
  
Annie Camden was clearing away the dishes from dinner. She wondered what was keeping Ruthie so late at Peter's, it was already 8 o'clock. She picked up the phone  
  
and dialed the Petrowski's number. Paris picked up the phone on the 3rd ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Paris, it's Annie!»  
  
"Hi Annie! How are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm fine, I was just wondering if Ruthie was still there."  
  
"What?" Paris replied in an extremely confused voice.  
  
"Ruthie. She said she was going over your house for dinner."  
  
"Um, not that I know of. She never showed up, either."  
  
"WHAT!!! Well, thanks Paris."  
  
"Anytime. Bye!" Paris said, shaking her head as she hung up. That was just too  
  
weird.  
  
Annie hung up the phone, furious, confused, and even maybe worried. A dark,  
  
deep, dirty thought pooped into her head, but she pushed it out. "No," she said to herself,  
  
"it couldn't be."  
  
She decided to call Jill's parents, just to check. She thought that maybe Ruthie  
  
had forgotten about Peter and went to Jill's, but she had no such luck. In fact, the  
  
conversation with Jill's dad was about the same as that with Peter's mom.  
  
Shaking, Annie went to Eric's home office. "Eric?" she whispered cautiously,  
  
"She left. Ruthie left." Annie was practically sobbing by now.  
  
"Do you think she knows?"  
  
"No, she can't, she just can't."  
  
"You're right, theirs no way." The stopped worrying and called the police, filing a  
  
missing persons file, description, the works. They didn't know, however, that they had  
  
been wrong before. Very wrong. She did know, all too well.  
  
A/N: yes that is my sad attempt at suspense. Did it work?? Please review!!! Hmm.was  
  
that longer.wait don't answer that that's 6 pages.maybe it's a little too long.o well.  
  
anyways i promise Ruthie's point of view will get more happy. i was just trying to  
  
show her unhappiness at her parents house. now i'll go leave you all alone so u can  
  
review my story ( 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Yet again 7th Heaven isn't mine.oh and I don't own Better Homes and Gardens either.or Adidas.okay basically I don't own anything in this story!!  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long to update!! I was busy during vacation and then got tons of homework, so SORRY!!!! Oh, and before you tell me I'm making stuff up, the house of dreams is fake but there's one like it in Connecticut-I swear- I googled it :-D  
  
Ruthie stepped outside the terminal. The crisp autumn air surrounded her. She stood there for a second, savoring it, but then she remembered she had to do something. She took out the photocopied map of Boston and looked closely at it. She sighed, realizing her destination was twenty blocks away, and she had no money for a taxi or the subway. She gingerly moved forward, threading her way through the think crowds. She silently said a prayer to thank God about her small size. A while later, Ruthie found herself looking at her final destination, The House of Dreams. She had done some research, and found that their was a house in Boston that housed runaway, non-criminal teenage girls. She originally was going to get a rundown apartment, but even that cost too much. So, she was going to get a job for extra money, cause she didn't know if you needed to pay or anything, and get a makeover so no one would recognize her. She was pretty sure she didn't have any distant relatives here, but she couldn't be positive. She stepped inside, suddenly becoming extremely shy. She saw there was a big front desk, with a plump, older women reading Better Homes and Gardens sitting there. "Hi," Ruthie practically whispered, approaching the counter. "Oh, hello, what's your name?" the women at the counter replied very cheerfully. "Ruthie Camden, and yours?" Ruthie replied, her confidence slowly returning with the woman's friendly smile and cheerfulness. "I'm Brenda, I own this place. You are runaway, right?" Brenda told Ruthie. "Yeah, actually. Can I stay or here or." Ruthie questioned. "Of course! That's why we're here!" Brenda exclaimed, "In fact, we have a roommate for you! She just came, you'll love her!" Ruthie smiled, knowing she was going to like Brenda. Maybe this thing would work. Brenda was telling her now how they wouldn't give information to the police or anything, and though they did encourage girls to go back to their homes, they could stay there as long as they wanted. Ruthie knew that this would be the best thing that ever happened to her. ~*Back at the Camden House*~  
"Okay, so Ruthie was wearing a blue ski jacket and jeans?" Detective Michaels asked Annie and Eric again. For the past two hours they had been asking consecutive questions.  
"Yes, and Adidas sneakers," Annie added.  
"Okay I think we have everything, unless you know anything else, like the reason she left?" Detective Michael asked, hinting that he knew there was more.  
"Well." Annie began, "there is something."  
"We need all the information we can," the detective prompted.  
"We have treated Ruthie rather.unfairly. a lot," began Eric.  
"Oh?" a surprised Detective Michaels said.  
"You see," began Annie, "Ruthie isn't our child. She's my deceased brother's child. That's why her complexion is so much darker than the rest of ours. Years ago, my brother and I had a major fight, and we didn't talk for years. He said some very, very hurtful things, which to this day I can't bear to repeat. A couple years later, thirteen years ago in fact, he and his wife died in a car accident, leaving a small child with no one to care for her. What could I do? I couldn't very well put her out in the streets! I took her in. Unfortunately, she has served as a living reminder of my brother and all the things he said to me. So, I treated her harshly. Now it seems stupid, how I treated his daughter wouldn't change it, and anyways, his daughter's not him. But, it's too late now," Annie finished, sobbing.  
"Wow," thought Detective Michaels. "Well, thank you. I'll see what I can do," he said, giving an encouraging smile to Eric and Annie.  
  
A/N: You like? Longer? More detail? Please review!!!! Reviews make me feel happy, and when I'm happy I write :-D 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: yet again I don't own 7th Heaven  
  
A/N: Again, sorry it took so long to update, the teachers are being mean and giving us tons of homework...grr...but vacations coming so I should update more then.  
  
Cautiously, Ruthie followed Brenda up to her room. Ruthie felt shy, which was odd for her. Brenda paused before opening the door. "I forgot to tell you on Mondays we have a mandatory group get-together where you can talk about your experiences. You don't have to talk, but you it's a good way to get things off your chest. Well, anyways, here's your room," Brenda told Ruthie. She knocked, and shortly after the door opened, revealing a petite brunette with curly brown hair. "We found a roommate for you, Kayla," Brenda said, smiling.  
Kayla grinned and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Kayla, as Brenda said," she greeted Ruthie.  
Ruthie grinned back. "I'm Ruthie."  
"I'll let you two talk," Brenda said as she walked away.  
Kayla motioned for Ruthie to come into the room, which Ruthie did. "This is my--our—room," Kayla explained. "It's small, but we don't need it to be big. We don't have a lot of belongings. You can put you backpack and stuff over there," Kayla told Ruthie.  
"Thanks," Ruthie said, pleased to have such a nice roommate.  
"How much do you know about here?" Kayla questioned Ruthie.  
"Not much," Ruthie admitted, "Just what Brenda told me, about not having to go back and that they won't answer any questions. Oh, and that we have to go to a group thingy every Monday.  
"Okay, well, I'll tell you the rest," started Kayla, "There's a fair amount of rules, but they're pretty basic, like you have to go school, if you're arrested, start doing drugs or smoking, or start drinking, they kick you out. The police can't take you back while you're here, but it's best to avoid them or anyone you know. You have to be in by 10 o'clock every day. Boys aren't allowed in our dorms, but we can bring them into the rec room, which is downstairs. Everyone has mandatory chores, but you get paid to do them. A lot of girls take jobs, too, though. Also, most girls die their hair and cut it, just in case. I died mine two days ago. Before, I was a red head. I like this much better though," said Kayla giggling.  
"Okay..." Ruthie said, feeling slightly overwhelmed.  
"C'mon, let's go meet the other girls!  
Kayla and the other girls' bubbly personalities were infectious, and Ruthie began to feel right at home. Ruthie knew she'd be friends with all the girls, especially Kayla and her friend Maria, a pretty Latin girl. And, for the first time in a long time, Ruthie felt truly happy.  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
~*Back at the Camden House*~  
  
"Mommy, where's Ruthie?" questioned Sam. Annie broke into a fresh set of sobs as she stirred the spaghetti sauce for dinner.  
Lucy came in at precisely that moment. She walked over to her mom and hugged her. "Don't worry, Mom, they'll find her, she'll be okay." Lucy said, trying to comfort her distraught mother.  
"I feel so guilty! How could I have been so shallow! So insensitive! I didn't even tell Ruthie! And now she's gone. In the beginning, it was fine, but as she got older, she seemed so much like my brother, your uncle, Tom. I was so scared she'd be like him. I didn't want to be hurt again. So I drove her off. Oh!" Annie broke off into sobs again.  
"Shh! It's okay! She'll be okay! She'll forgive you! Just talk to her when she gets back. Talking to her will help," Lucy said, still digesting what her mom had told her only that morning of why Ruthie left.  
"It's too late now though!" Annie cried.  
"Shh...shh...they'll find her," Lucy said, hugging her mother again.  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
~*At the Church*~  
  
"Eric, I was wondering if you had the...Eric? Are you all right?" Chandler said as he came into Eric's office.  
"Yeah...fine...fine..." said Eric distractedly.  
"Umm, well, sorry, but you don't look fine. Do you wanna go to the pool hall and get some lunch?" Chandler offered.  
"Uhh...sure, thanks, that would be great, actually," Eric said, as he stood and stretched.  
"So, any news on Ruthie?" Chandler asked once they got to the pool hall.  
"None. Detective Michaels is calling all the bus companies, airports, taxi companies, anywhere she might've gone to. God, I feel so guilty now." Eric said, looking at the menu.  
"Why?" Chandler asked.  
"Well, you know what I told you earlier? About Annie's feud with her brother and then holding it against Ruthie?" Eric asked.  
"Well, yeah, but you didn't do anything, did you?" Chandler asked, slightly confused. Eric had told him the big details about the stories, so Chandler at least new what was going on.  
"That's just it! I didn't do anything! I could've at least talked to Annie! I don't know, it only started about a year ago, when Ruthie became so much like Tom, Annie's brother. I guess I didn't notice. Or I chose not to," Eric sighed.  
"Well, apologize, once she comes back. And she will come back. I know she will," Chandler said.  
"Thanks, Chandler. You're a nice guy," Eric said, smiling at the young man.  
"Anytime," Chandler said, smiling back, and praying that Ruthie would, indeed come back.  
  
A/N: How was that? I tried to make Annie and Eric seem more in character and nicer without totally messing up the story. Also, in this story Ruthie's 15. I know in the beginning I said that she came to them 13 years ago, but we'll just say she came when she was 2, okay? O=) now remember reviews(faster update =D 


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I didn't get 7th Heaven for my birthday so I guess its still not mine shrugs. Oh, I don't own C.V.S. either, though that would be so awesome if I did hehe.  
  
A/N: Schools out and finals are over cheers so this means I'll be updating more frequently. The only thing will be that my grandfather is very sick so I should be updating HOPEFULLY once a week, but if I don't its either because I'm grounded smiles sheepishly or that something happened, so don't hurt me!! :-D now on with the story. Oh, if you're wondering why Ruthie hasn't been to school yet, they give them a week for adjusting, okay? She'll start this chapter or the next, I promise. Oh, and the first week you don't have to go to the Monday support group thing. Okay now on with the story!  
  
Thank you everyone who reviewed! You guys make my day (  
  
"Oh man. Are you sure about this?" Ruthie whispered to Kayla and Maria.  
  
"Yes! You'll look great with darker hair with streaks!" Kayla whispered back.  
  
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose? I mean, why go darker if you're just going to lighten it again with highlights?" Maria whispered to all of them.  
  
"First of all, it IS different. You're only lightening PARTS of your hair, and second, why are we whispering?" Kayla replied, whispering rather loudly. The girls giggled, and resumed their conversation in their normal voices.  
  
"Well all right..." Ruthie took a deep breath and went to the register and pulled out a 20 dollar bill.  
  
"Is that all?" The teenager at the cash register asked.  
  
"Umm...I guess so, do you guys want anything?" Kayla and Maria said no, and Ruthie turned back to the register.  
  
"That will be $18.45." Ruthie gave her the bill, which she quickly made change for, and handed her the receipt. "Thank you for choosing C.V.S," she said, with an obviously rehearsed smile, and went back to gossiping with her employee.  
  
"Oh my gosh I dunno about this guys..." Ruthie said, looking more nervous by the second, "Are you sure you guys know what you're doing and it will turn out all right?"  
  
"Relax! It'll look great!" Maria comforted her. "Now come ON!"  
  
The trio hurried back and rushed to their bedroom (Maria's was across the hall, and she was currently the only one there). Maria and Kayla practically dragged Ruthie down to the bathroom. It was five, so there was only two other people there, who were currently only washing their hands and on their way out.  
  
"Good," Maria said, "Let's get to work."  
  
They got a towel and put it on Ruthie's shoulders. The brought a chair over to a clean sink, (they chose the day after the bathrooms got cleaned), and followed the instructions for the dye. After they were done that, they stood Ruthie up, and wrenched her around so that she was facing the mirrors. They managed to convince her to open, and heard a gasp, followed by a squeal.  
  
"It's awesome guys! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ruthie squealed, going up to the mirror for a closer inspection, as Kayla and Maria gave each other high-fives.  
  
"Now onto phase two," Kayla announced, grinning rather evilly, with Maria who was rubbing her hands together in a very non-comforting way. Ruthie gulped, and back away, but they managed to shove her into the chair, where the indeed went onto the second phase.  
  
Back at the Camden House  
  
Annie dived for the ringing phone. "Hello?" She said in a rushed voice.  
  
"Hello? Annie?" Detective Michaels asked.  
  
"Yes? Any news?" Annie questioned.  
  
"Yes, actually. I just got off the phone with an elderly woman named Antoinette who said she thinks she saw Ruthie in the airport. She thought Ruthie was going towards the terminal for Chicago, but she wasn't sure. We're sending men there tomorrow. That's all she knew, though," Detective Michaels replied apologetically.  
  
"Okay. Thank you," Annie sighed, happy for a lead but still worried.  
  
"Anytime," Detective Michaels said, hanging up. He sighed. He knew Ruthie, and she was smart, and very clever. If she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be found.  
  
Back to Ruthie...  
  
Before she knew it, Sunday night had arrived, meaning school started the next day. That night, Ruthie only picked at her food.  
  
"Relax!" Kayla scolded her. "I'll be there, along with Maria, and you'll make new friends!" Kayla reminded her, with Maria next to her, nodding.  
  
"Okay..." Ruthie sighed. "What school is it, by the way, nobody told me."  
  
"Garfield High School, home of the Panthers," Maria grinned, then, seeing Ruthie's confused expression, said, "It was named after the president, not the cat," causing Ruthie to laugh, then Kayla and Maria laughing because, well, just because. Pretty soon they got the whole table laughing, loosening Ruthie's nerves greatly, and causing her to even look forward to the next day...just a little.  
  
Back at the Camden House  
  
The phone rang again at the Camden residence Sunday night, this time with Eric diving for it.  
  
"Hello?" Eric practically yelled into the phone.  
  
"Hi, Eric?" Detective Michaels asked.  
  
"Yeah, any news?" Eric pressed.  
  
"Nothing that I didn't tell Annie, which I assume she told you."  
  
"Yeah, she told me. Thank you."  
  
"Anytime. Listen, I'm gonna be out of town for a few days. I'm giving some students a lecture on safety and such. I'll call you when I get back with any news, however," Detective Michaels explained.  
  
"Oh. Okay. What grade?" Eric asked.  
  
"Tenth graders."  
  
"Oh. Where?" Eric questioned.  
  
"Garfield High School in Boston, Massachusetts."  
  
"Garfield?"  
  
"It was named after the president, not the cat," Detective Michaels explained.  
  
"Oh, okay. Thanks for telling us."  
  
"Anytime, Eric. Bye," Detective Michaels said.  
  
"Bye," Eric said, and hung up the phone, sighing.  
  
A/N: Dun dun dun! That was my attempt at a cliffhanger. Did it work? Review and tell me! You know that button's saying, "Press me! Press me!" And, yes, I am crazy. :-D so...yea...review cause ya know if you don't like the story it'll never get better if you don't help me out here! Okay I'm done, really. Bye! 


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own 7th Heaven, or Target  
  
A/N: I can accept anonymous reviews now!! (Sorry if any anonymous person tried to review and couldn't, I didn't know I had that you couldn't under my settings... oops!) Anyways... see I updated a lot sooner! cheers I'm so proud of myself...anyways...on with the story!  
  
BEEP BEEP BEEP  
  
Ruthie rolled over and smacked her alarm clock, groping for the off button. Before she could even think about falling back asleep, however, she was pulled off her bed.  
  
"Come ON! Don't want to be late for your first day of school, do you?" Kayla said, grinning at her.  
  
"Go away!" Ruthie groaned.  
  
"Sorry, no. Now get in the shower before there's a huge line!"  
  
Ruthie picked up her outfit, which Maria and Kayla had approved the night before (a new denim jacket, boughten on sale at Target, a purple shirt with a huge fancy butterfly one it, on sale at Target again, and her old faded jeans, very "vintage" according to Maria and Kayla), and stumbled into the bathroom and into an available shower. She took a quick shower, got dressed, ate, brushed her teeth, and was set to go in an amazing 45 minutes.  
  
She went downstairs and waited for Kayla and Maria, which was only about five minutes. When they got outside, the chilly autumn wind blew her newly short hair, (she got it cut yesterday), into her face. She hugged her jacket around her as the trio walked to school.  
  
"Okay, this afternoon we're going to find jobs," Kayla announced.  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Maria and Ruthie screamed.  
  
"Maria and I have been here a month already, and I, for one, want Ruthie to have the same job as me, and the group thing isn't until eight, so what better time?" Kayla reasoned.  
  
"She has a point I guess..." said Maria.  
  
"Okay..." Said Ruthie.  
  
"See? I'm right. Now come on here it is!" Kayla boasted as they arrived at a formidable brick building.  
  
Ruthie started to back up but was dragged forward by the other two. The strode up the seemingly endless stairs into a wide hall filled with bustling students.  
  
"Come on. We'll take you to the office," Maria offered. The walked quickly down winding halls until they arrived at a door with a frosted windows that had "Office" spelled on it with black letters. They went inside to find a woman of about fifty talking on the phone and shuffling through papers.  
  
"Hello? Mrs. Pine? This is Ruthie, who's starting today," Kayla told her.  
  
"Oh, of course, here's your schedule, come back if you need anything," Mrs. Pine said hurriedly.  
  
They left, and Ruthie showed them her schedule.  
  
"Oh! I have Geometry and Bio with you!" said Kayla.  
  
"I have Art with you the last half of the year, Phys Ed., and English with you," Maria said.  
  
"Okay good! This means I only have World History and Computer during the first half of the year by myself. What homeroom are you in?" Ruthie said, greatly relieved.  
  
"Umm... same as yours!" Kayla announced, "Maria's by herself though.  
  
Ruthie and Kayla said good-bye to Maria and walked to homeroom. They introduced Ruthie, and soon after the bell rang to go to their first class. Those classes went by uneventfully, but then came time for Phys. Ed. Ruthie and Maria got changed and headed for the gym. They got their before the teacher, and started talking. Before long, the teacher strode in.  
  
"Hello, please take a seat on the bleachers. Everybody, we have a new student. This is Ruthie," the Coach announced, pointing at Ruthie, who was blushing.  
  
"Hi, Ruthie," the class said in monotone voices.  
  
"Now we also have a guest speaker today. His name is Detective Michaels, and he's from Glenoak, California. He's here to tell us about protecting ourselves, seeing as he's particularly good at solving cases on missing, kidnapped, or murdered children. Hello Detective!" the Coach said to Detective Michaels, who had just walked in.  
  
"Maria! I know him!" Ruthie said, looking very pale.  
  
"Oh no! Uhh... well, he can't take you away, but just look down," Maria suggested, very worried.  
  
"Okay," Ruthie said staring at her lap, and resting her head in her hands like she was very tired.  
  
It was probably the slowest class in Ruthie's life, and that's saying something, after taking Algebra I last year. Finally, the bell to get dressed rang, and Ruthie and Maria bolted to the door. Not fast enough though. Detective Michaels saw Ruthie, and thought she looked familiar.  
  
"Coach? Who's that girl? With the short dark hair with highlights next to the Latin girl," Detective Michaels asked.  
  
"Oh, she's new. I think her name is Ruthie...yeah, that's it, Ruthie," The confused Coach responded.  
  
"Is her last name Camden?" Detective Michaels pressed.  
  
"Umm... yeah. Why do you ask?" The Coach said, checking her name in his grading book.  
  
"Oh, I know her family. I'll go say hi to her," Detective Michaels said, going after Ruthie.  
  
"Okay," the Coach said, shrugging.  
  
"Ruthie!" Detective Michaels called after her. Ruthie turned around by instinct, then mentally kicked her self for doing so. She quickly turned back around and ran towards the locker room. Detective Michaels was too fast though. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked, "Do you know how worried your family is? Your friends? Your mother barely stops crying! Your father is close to a mental breakdown!"  
  
"Serves them right!" Ruthie thought, but said, "Tell them I'm fine and that I'm sorry, but I'm not coming home."  
  
"You have to come home! I'm the police! In fact, I'm taking you to the nearest station right now!" he said, grabbing her arm.  
  
"You can't do that! I'm in a home for runaway girls and you can't take me home! It's the law!" Ruthie blurted out.  
  
Detective Michaels sighed. He had been afraid of this. He knew Ruthie was smart. More than smart, she was clever. She would have figured out she could do that. "Fine," he said, "But don't think this is the end of it.  
  
Ruthie breathed a sigh of relief. For now, she was safe. It was only a matter of time, however, before her parents would come. But for now, she would fine sanctuary in the unlikely place of the girls' locker room.  
  
A/N: You like? Tell me in a review! You know you want to press it... it's calling you... hehe okay I'm done now. Byye! 


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven. If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be basking the warm rays of the Hawaiian sun in an Olympic sized pool...okay, okay I'll shut up!

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed you guys are awesome! :-D

A/N: Omg, I haven't updated in FORVER. You guys are going to kill me, aren't you? I'm sorry hides head in shame Sorry, my grandfather died, then I started high school. Let me tell you, high school is very different than 8th grade. Especially when the size of your freshmen class is the same size as your old school, PK-8th. So anyways, I've been productive today, (I updated my livejournal too:-D), and I got a 96 on my perfect paragraph, which is apparently unheard of for the first one, which is after a C- on the writing part of the first writing assignment, (I got a B- overall for "form"), so I'm pumped:-D. Oh yeah, and I did well in cross country this week, so I've had the BEST week, so review, then I'll be happier, then I'll update :-D

Stephen Collins Rocks- Detective Michaels does more in this chapter to get Ruthie back. He's not just letting her go, there is a reason I had him find her.

Anyhow, on with the story!

Detective Michaels was mad. No, he wasn't mad. He was irate. He found her. She was there, but she managed to slip between his fingers. He should've figured she'd have done this. She was smart. Well, are the Camden kids were smart. She was more, well, clever. She was sly, sneaky, manipulative, conspiring... you get the picture. Now he needed a way to get her back, for good. He picked up the phone on his desk. He punched in 2 and waited. After a minute he spoke into it. "Thank goodness I have you. I need your advice."

Back to Ruthie...

Ruthie got over Detective Michael's visit sooner than she thought she would. She also had a newfound confidence. She knew now that she could do this.

"Come on Ruthie! Snap out of it!" Kayla said, snapping her fingers in Ruthie's face. "We have ten stores to cover. I looked in the 'Help Wanted' of the newspaper," She said grinning, as Ruthie groaned and Maria rolled her eyes.

"What's first, dare I ask?" Maria asked.

"Wendy's!" Kayla announced. "Oldie, but goodie."

"Let's get it over with," Ruthie sighed.

"Oh come on! Don't be a spoilsport!" Kayla said, bounding ahead, as Ruthie shook her head and Maria laughed.

....4 hours later....

"Okay, we've been to 9, all of them involving grease, bad managers, and ugly uniforms, please tell me we're going to somewhere relatively normal now!" Ruthie begged as she followed the now speed-walking Kayla down the crowded sidewalk.

"Of course, ye of little faith! And...here we are!" Kayla said as they came up in front of a cute little boutique, with mannequins in trendy clothes in the big window. A bright orange "Help Wanted" sign took up a small corner of the window.

"Sweet deal, this would be an awesome place to work," Maria commented as the girls filed through the narrow door. A tall, willowy woman with a bright smile on her face greeted them as they entered the store.

"Hello, and welcome to Willow's Boutique, how may I help you?" The woman, whose name tag identified her as Christina, asked.

"Uh, yeah," piped up Maria, "We were wondering about getting jobs here."

"Oh! Really? Wonderful! I've been shorthanded for months!" Christina exclaimed. She proceeded to give them job applications, and asked them each a series of questions, then promised to call them, saying she had a good feeling about this, as she shepherded them out the door, grinning.

"I think that place wins," Ruthie said as soon as they got outside. Two other head nods mad it unanimous. And as they walked down the street, Ruthie had a good feeling in her heart, that this was going to work, only slightly dampened by the other feeling of dread that was also there.

Over to Detective Michaels

"Detective Sasase, this is important, we really need you"

"Fine, I'll help. When do you need me?"

A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Who is Detective Sasase?You'll find out NEXT!

Now press that pretty little button:-D


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, my love life's been rather not good these past weeks, so therefore there will be romance in this next chapter (lucky you!) nothing explicit or too developed, I promise, but something to take my mind off my current single state. Also, I seemed to have missed Thanksgiving, so I'm going to mention it in passing and go to Christmas (I'm listening to Now Christmas I right now :-D)

Disclaimer: If I owned 7th Heaven, I'd be in Paris shopping (and guy searching sigh) right now.

Exactly one week later, the girls heard from every place, 4 negative and 6 positive. Willow's Boutique accepted them, and they readily accepted. The job started the next day, and needless to say none of the three girls got much sleep that night. However, they had nothing to worry about. Christina treated them all like her own children, since, as they found out, she didn't have any.

The trio kept busy, and pretty soon Thanksgiving came and went. Ruthie didn't say anything, but Thanksgiving was tough for her. Kayla and Maria acted a little odd around that time too, but they didn't bring it up so she left the subject be. She spent the day helping out at the local homeless shelter, which she knew her family would have wanted her to do.

Before she new it, school was out for Christmas break, there was a prediction of snow on the radio, and Willow's Boutique was getting a new order of clothes (the first for the trio), as well as a new soundtrack of Christmas songs. It was about 9 o'clock that night when Christina announced her nephew, who offered to help restock the shelves, was there, and it was time to close up and reorganize the store. Ruthie yawned and stepped out from behind the cash register. Her eyes widened as a tall boy, maybe a year older than her, with dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin walked through the door, having to stoop a little because of his height.

"Hey Aunt Christina," the boy said, grinning. He didn't have time to continue, as Christina had rushed to him, crushed him in a huge hug, and bombarded him with a dozen questions about his health, grades, friends, nourishment, and general wellbeing, in true aunt fashion.

When Christina had finally released the boy, whose name they deduced from her questions to be Patrick, she finally realized there were three other people in the room, and introduced them to Patrick, who greeted each of them in turn. When he smiled at Ruthie, she swore her heart could be heard beating in Japan.

Christina ordered pizza and turned the radio on to a Christmas station, and the crew got to work. They all gasped, sighed, oohed, and aahed at various articles of clothing. Ruthie had more fun than she had for a long time. Kayla soon started lecturing them on the fact that no radio stations played Hanukkah music, which Ruthie had actually wondered about. Somehow, that developed into a good-natured debate on the moral value of Barbies. Ruthie, having never had a Barbie, fell silent. She noticed Patrick was silent as well, she assumed that it was because he had also never had a Barbie. He stood up and walked over to a display and motioned for her to follow him.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

Ruthie smiled back responding with "Hey."

"Want to take a walk?" Patrick asked.

"Sure, let me get my coat." Ruthie grinned, grabbing her coat as Patrick told his aunt where they were going. They stepped outside, a shock of air hitting them.

They made small talk for awhile, talking about little things. It turned out they knew more about each other than they thought, Christina had often mentioned them to the other in passing. This lasted about 15 minutes before they fell into a comfortable silence.

"How long have you been working there?" Patrick asked, snapping Ruthie out of her daydream.

"Sorry?" Ruthie asked, blushing.

Patrick grinned. "How long have you been working there?"

"Oh. About 5 weeks," Ruthie replied, "I've already fell in love with it though."

"It's a cute little place," Patrick agreed. "Aunt Christina apparently always wanted a little trendy boutique. I guess she got her wish. She's lucky."

"Yeah, she is. She seems to really love it."

"What about you? What's your story?" Patrick questioned.

"Not so good, but let's not get into that. What about you? Do you live near here?" Ruthie asked, brushing off the question.

Patrick frowned a little at Ruthie's evasion of the question, but replied quickly, "I live near Newbury Street. My dad's a pretty successful doctor, so we have a rather nice."

Ruthie grinned at the thought of living near so many wonderful shops. "You're so lucky! That must be so awesome! You must love that!"

"But right now, there's something I like even more," Patrick whispered, leaning down and lightly kissed her. Ruthie gasped, grinned, and kissed back. A/N: They did talk while stocking the shelves, so they did know each other. Patrick is not "fast" or taking advantage of her, and Ruthie is not rushing in to things. He knows a lot about her, just not her background, and vice-versa, except Ruthie knows his background. They soon realized just how cold it was to stand in one spot not moving, and decided to head back to the boutique, his arm draped around her shoulder.

"Ruthie?"

"Mmhm?"

"Would you like to go out with me, like as my girlfriend?"

Ruthie grinned. "Sure."

Patrick grinned. "Sweet. Well, we're here, I guess we should head in."

Ruthie nodded and they headed in.

Now, Christina is a smart woman, and wise beyond her years, at least when it comes to romance. So when her nephew arrives with his arm around her shoulder after being on a walk for about 45 minutes, you can bet she knew EXACTLY what happened during those 45 minutes. 5 squeals, 3 hugs, and 10 congratulations later, Kayla, Maria, and Christina had expressed their acceptance of this new romance. Giggling like mad, Maria, Kayla, and Maria headed home.

That night, Ruthie dreamed of tall men dangling winking at her and Christina crying because she had won the lottery, which turned out to be fake, with little pictures of mansions on the back and Patrick on the front, with "In Newbury Street We Trust" on it.

The Camden household was getting down-right morbid. Sure, a fake cheerful pretense was put on, but Mrs. Camden hadn't been cleaning as much, and Mr. Camden hadn't raked the leaves. The door needed to be fixed, and doorbell was jammed. Whenever a child walked by, Mrs. Camden would burst into tears, blaming it on allergies, while Mr. Camden would get deathly silent. Thanksgiving was awkward, no one wanted to blame anyone or even bring it up, so it was very stiff and formal. Without Ruthie, nothing was the same…

The police station was tense. Christmas bonus time. Officer Michaels knew what was coming—

"OFFICER MICHAELS!"

Yup, there it was. He trudged into the office, head down, feet dragging- actually he looked like the little kid sent to the principal's office. Ironic, huh? He's now fighting against a girl that did just that. Funny how life works out.

"Officer Michaels, how come you haven't gotten that ..er...Camden… girl back yet?"

"Well, you see sir, it turns out there's a few loop holes that mean she can stay in that housein Boston as long as she wants." Officer Michaels cringed.

"THEN FIND OTHER LOOPHOLES!!! HONESTLY MAN!! Is there ANY good news in the case?"

"Well, Officer Sasase is helping me with it…?" Officer Michael hoped…prayed. And—

"You've got Officer Sasase on it? There is a God! There is hope! All right. Oh yes. You have a…$100 dollar Christmas bonus. Merry Christmas!" Officer Michael's boss said cheerfully, "Officer Sasase! Ahh, what a good officer!"

Officer Michael's trudged back out of the office. He had a Christmas bonus, and he had kept his job. He sat down at his desk He dialed those 10 fateful numbers…

"Officer Sasase? It's Detective Michaels…"

A/N: There you have it! The next chapter! Please review. Constructive Criticism very much appreciated. Also: I was thinking of writing a Harry Potter story about Ron/Hermione. Anyone think I should/shouldn't? Merry Christmas! Happy (late) Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza! (Sorry if I spelled those wrongs, if I did, I'm extremely sorry and embarrassed, I should be more cultured)


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